The Arden School of Theatre and Performing Arts: Books and eBooks

Jean Benedetti translates the work of Stanislavski, writing in an accessible way that enables students to understand what the psycho-physical technique of acting means. This volume contains both 'An Actor Prepares' and 'Building a Character'. 792.028 STA.

Rodenburg takes the actor through an intensive voice and speech workshop advising on: breathing and relaxation; vocal range and power, communication with other actors and the audience; integrating movement, singing and speaking; deciphering and animating a text; adjusting voice to different size stages and auditoria; working in mediums beyond the stage and sustaining a performance 792.0285 ROD.

This book provides all the tools actors need to understand, confront, and ultimately overcome stage fright and its effects, thereby regaining control over their lives and careers. 792.028 MER.

Guides the reader through the contested definition of performance as a theatrical activity, discussing the interpretation of performance by ethnographers, anthropologists, linguists, and cultural theorists. Covers the evolution of performance art since the 1960s; the relationship between performance, postmodernism, the politics of identity, and cultural studies; and theoretical developments in the study of performance. 792.01 CAR.

A 'fast-forward' acting course covering all the essential techniques an actor needs to know and use - with a suite of exercises to put each technique into practice. John Abbott's The Acting Book offers various ways to analyse a text and to create character, using not only the established processes of Stanislavsky and Meisner, but also new ones developed by the author over many years of teaching drama students. It also sets out a wide range of rehearsal techniques and improvisations, and it brims over with inventive practical exercises designed to stimulate the actor's imagination and build confidence. The book will be invaluable to student actors as an accompaniment to their training, to established actors who wish to refresh their technique, and to drama teachers at every level. 'Abbott knows what he's talking about and has a gift for expressing himself in straightforward, clutter-free language' The Stage on Improvisation in Rehearsal

Stanislavski's simple exercises fire the imagination, and help readers not only discover their own conception of reality but how to reproduce it as well.

Dance in education. Dance composition - the discipline that translates ideas into dances. Practical guide to creative success in dance making. Aimed at improving students' choreography.

Introduction to contemporary dance. Includes history of dance key dates; from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present, and provides context on how the art form has evolved over time. Profiles contemporary dancers and choreographers; Merce Cunningham, William Forsythe, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Akram Khan, Trisha Brown and Pina Bausch.

Explores the ways in which musical theatre reaches out to and involves its audiences. Discusses how pleasure is stimulated by vocal, musical and spectacular performances. Early discussions centre on the construction of the composed text, but then attention is given to performance and audience response.

Covers fundamental skills for novice actors, practical insights for professionals, and tips to help musical performers refine their craft. Advice offered on fundamentals of acting applied to musical theatre including script, score and character analysis, personalizing your performance, turning rehearsal into performance, acting styles in the musical theatre and practical steps to a career.

Discusses concepts, ideas, trends and social and artistic aspects in music theatre. Texts include the relationship between language and music, song and speech, story telling and expression, theatrical movement and dance, high art and poplular culture, entertainment and instruction and also the impact of media and technology and the influence of jazz, pop and world beat on new theatre forms and styles today.

In LivenessPhilip Auslander addresses what may be the single most important question facing all kinds of performance today: What is the status of live performance in a culture dominated by mass media? By looking at specific instances of live performance such as theatre, rock music, sport and courtroom testimony, Livenessoffers penetrating insights into media culture. This provocative book tackles some of the enduring 'sacred truths' surrounding the high cultural status of the live event.

Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader is an invaluable resource for students of physically orientated theatre and performance. This book aims to trace the roots and development of physicality in theatre by combining practical experience of the field with a strong historical and theoretical underpinning. In exploring the histories, cross-overs and intersections of physical theatres, this critical Reader provides: sixnbsp;new, specially commissioned essays, covering each of the book's main themes, from technical traditions to contemporary practises discussion of issues such as the foregrounding of the body, training and performance processes, and the origins of theatre in both play and human cognition anbsp;focus on the relationship and tensions between the verbal and the physical in theatre contributions from Augusto Boal, Stephen Berkoff, Étienne Decroux, Bertolt Brecht, David George, J-J. Rousseau, Ana Sanchez Colberg, Michael Chekhov, Jeff Nuttall, Jacques Lecoq, Yoshi Oida, Mike Pearson, and Aristotle.

Staging Sex lays out a comprehensive, practical solution for staging intimacy, nudity, and sexual violence. This book takes theatre practitioners step-by-step through the best practices, tools, and techniques for crafting effective theatrical intimacy. After an overview of the challenges directors face when staging theatrical intimacy, Staging Sex offers practical solutions and exercises, provides a system for establishing and discussing boundaries, and suggests efficient and effective language for staging intimacy and sexual violence. It also addresses production and classroom specific concerns and provides guidance for creating a culture of consent in any company or department. Written for directors, choreographers, movement coaches, stage managers, production managers, professional actors, and students of acting courses, Staging Sex is an essential tool for theatre practitioners who encounter theatrical intimacy or instructional touch, whether in rehearsal or in the classroom.

nbsp; 'We have good reason to be wary of mise en scène, but that is all the more reason to question this wariness ... it seems that images from a performance come back to haunt us, as if to prolong and transform our experience as spectators, as if to force us to rethink the event, to return to our pleasure or our terror.' - Patrice Pavis, from the foreword Contemporary Mise en Scène is Patrice Pavis's masterful analysis of the role that staging has played in the creation and practice of theatre throughout history. This stunningly ambitious study considers: the staged reading, at the frontiers of mise en scène; scenography, which sometimes replaces staging; the reinterpretation of classical and contemporary works; the development of intercultural theatre and ritual; new technologies and their usage live on the stage; the postmodern practice of deconstruction. But it also applies sustained critical attention to the challenges of defining mise en scène, of tracking its development, and of exploring its possible futures. Joel Anderson's powerful new translation lucidly realises Pavis's investigation of the changing possibilities for stagecraft in the context of performance art, physical theatre and modern theory.

Star of the West End's 'Rat Pack' and cabaret stalwart, Gary Williams, shares the secrets of his success in Cabaret Secrets - a practical guide with everything you need to create your own show, travel the world and get paid to do what you love. Written for singers who want to create their own cabaret show, or improve the one they already have, Cabaret Secrets covers everything from finding a theme, scripting a show and running a rehearsal. There's lots of practical advice on how to find an agent, promoting your show and ordering musical arrangements.